174 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 

 Food Habits 



Little was learned about the food habits of the short-billed 

 gull. In 1925, I found these gulls on the tundra back of Izembek 

 Bay, among the salmon streams. No doubt they feed on fish 

 scraps left by the Alaska brown bears, but they also eat salmon 

 eggs. Where the water was a little deep, the gulls would drop 

 headfirst and partly submerge in order to reach the salmon 

 eggs on the bottom. The stomach of a bird taken for a specimen 

 was crammed full of salmon eggs. 



Larus Philadelphia: Bonaparte's Gull 



This little gull is found only sparingly in most of the area here 

 considered, though it is abundant in southeastern Alaska. At 

 Petersburg, a favorite gathering place, flocks assemble at the 

 docks of the shrimp cannery and feed on the refuse. At Juneau, 

 they were eating herring roe attached to fish nets, and we found 

 them again at Cordova. They are reported to be a plentiful 

 summer bird, and they nest at Yakutat (Shortt 1939). 



Though they might be expected on Kodiak, such records have 

 not been found. On May 5, 1936, several were noted at Seward, 

 and one was seen there on May 21, 1937. On May 9, 1936, several 

 were seen at Anchorage, and a pair seemed to be preparing 

 to nest at a small marsh, near town. 



Osgood (1904) reports a pair of these gulls, evidently nesting, 

 on Lake Iliamna, July 16, 1902, and he mentions specimens taken 

 by McKay and Johnson at Nushagak, at Lake Aleknagik, and 

 at Ugashik. Jaques (1930) found about 40 near Port Moller on 

 June 10, and Hine observed large flocks and took specimens in 

 Kashvik Bay about August 1, 1919. Cahalane found them common 

 on Naknek River, September 3 and 4, 1940, and saw one on 

 Savanoski River, September 20. In 1940, Gabrielson observed 

 these gulls in the Bristol Bay region, and, in 1945, he obtained 

 two specimens at Chignik. 



McGregor (1906) found this species among the Krenitzin group 

 of the Aleutians as follows : a bird and a wing found at Tigalda 

 Bay on August 6; about 30 seen off Ugamak on August 12; 1 

 seen off Tigalda, and 4 seen off Poa, on August 15. He states that 

 they were abundant at Dutch Harbor, August 17. 



Bishop (1900) reported these gulls common at Unalaska, 

 October 4-5, 1899. 



The base of Alaska Peninsula and the Cook Inlet region lie 

 within the normal breeding range of this gull. Occurrences 

 westward on Alaska Peninsula can hardly be considered nesting 



